Changes in fruit and vegetable consumption during the transition to parenthood: longitudinal evidence from Australia and the United Kingdom

TL;DR

Becoming a parent increases fruit and vegetable consumption in Australia, but not in the UK, with effects varying by gender and education level.

Contribution

This study provides longitudinal evidence on how parenthood influences fruit and vegetable consumption in two countries.

Findings

Becoming a parent increases fruit and vegetable consumption in Australia, particularly for highly educated individuals.

In Australia, mothers show increased fruit consumption before childbirth, while fathers show changes postnatally.

No significant changes in fruit and vegetable consumption are observed among parents in the United Kingdom.

Abstract

Families are an important context for healthy eating. This longitudinal study investigates how becoming a parent affects the fruit and vegetable consumption of men and women.

This study uses two harmonized nationally representative longitudinal household surveys for Australia (N = 2,288 women and 2,479 men) and the United Kingdom (N = 5,424 women and 4,275 men) with data collected between 2007 and 2018. Changes in fruit and vegetable consumption are studied from three and more years before the birth of the first child until 6 years and more after birth using a difference-in-difference design.

The transition to parenthood increases the fruit and vegetable consumption in Australia with a significant increase in the proportion of men and women consuming at least one portion of fruit or vegetables per day. While for Australian mothers, this change is visible already 1–2 years before birth, for fathers the change occurs postnatally. The effect extends over several years after birth. For Australian mothers, the increase is due exclusively to an increase in the consumption of fruit, while for men small effects are found for both fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the increase in fruit and vegetable consumption is more pronounced among highly educated parents. There are no significant changes in the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables with parenthood in the United Kingdom.

Individuals’ fruit and vegetable consumption is not strongly affected by becoming a parent. When it is, the effect is positive for both men and women, and greater for those with higher levels of education. Differences between countries indicate the importance of cultural contexts in the influence of parenthood on diet.

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